Living Faith Out Loud - February 2023

‘It’s time to roar

It’s time to take a stand Let the enemy know We’re moving at the Lord’s command ...

– Lyrics from Dr. Aimee Clute’s song

MIZ TIFFANY

CALLY LOGAN

DR. NICHOLE PETERS

PASTOR/COMMANDER WILLIE BROWN

dr dorothy p wilson

Fearlessness is not the absence of fear. It’s the presence of faith. Do you have the courage to step past fear? Do you have the courage to obey God despite whatever? As I was looking back over my life at the end of 2022, I am astounded at what I, a poor little girl from Burke County, Ga., have been able to overcome because of God’s grace and mercy in my life. I am so blessed!

I’d like to capture the stories of some other fearless women through a new project launching this year. The goal of this new national magazine is simple: To empower other women to be fear less, too. Your overcoming message matters. It can change another person’s life and even change an entire generation of a family.

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If you have faced fear down, trusted God, and walked into your greater, this magazine feature is for you.

FROM FAITHINSPIRATION NETWORK FOUNDER

Coming in 2023! Reserve your spot now!

You already know that "being fearless" doesn't mean having an absence of fear. NOPE. It means you were scared and you did it anyway. You have FACED FEAR DOWN and WALKED RIGHT ON into your destiny. And now ... you are not playing.

It's time for you to share some of this fierceness with other women who are stuck, struggling, broke and disgusted.

It's not about your age or your experience. this is about the OVERCOMING MINDSETS you've developed that have TRANSFORMED YOUR LIFE. IT'S ABOUT NOT LEAVING ANY WOMAN BEHIND.

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Sherri Allen-Reeves

Making

As associate director of Matthew House Chicago, Sherri Allen-Reeves is living her faith out loud as she provides supports services to thousands of homeless and disenfranchised people. Helping the homeless has been Sherri’s passion and purpose for more than thirty-five years. She has facilitated hundreds of life-skills, vision-board, and public-speaking workshops and is herself founder of Renaissance Bronzeville Toastmasters Club. She is a trained and expert coach in communication skills, a life skill that helps people transform their lives.

In keeping with her commitment to helping others change their lives, Sherri is a member

a difference one smile at a time

of the Rotary Club of Chicago South East, an organization whose mission is to provide service to others; promote integrity; and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace. The Chicago South East club is working with other Rotary clubs to improve lives in Africa. Sherri and her daughters recently traveled to Africa with the club to participate in service projects and to attend a ribbon cutting ceremony for a new library that Rotarians built in Sierra Leone.

SHE RECALLS A TRANSFORMATIONAL JOURNEY

“It was 10 p.m. when we landed in Accra. Going through customs was an adventure of its own. There were multiple checkpoints within the airport and additional stops after retrieving your luggage,” she said.

She and her group had not traveled to Africa before, and they’d included a bit of sightseeing into their service schedule.

“One of our fellow Rotarians lives in Ghana, so she met us at the airport and had drivers waiting for us. As we began to approach the exit doors, you could feel the heat and a smell in the air, something I had never smelled before; I can only call the scent ‘Africa.’ There was a sea of people who looked like me, my cousins, neighbors, and people on the block. The smiles on their faces, the way the faces glistened with sweat, everywhere you looked were beautiful Black people.”

LIFELONG DREAM FULFILLED

Sherri says she has always felt a connection to Africa and that making the trip was fulfilling a lifelong dream. Although her daughters, Lacie and Crystal, had been to Ghana before, this was their first time to travel there with their mother. “Two generations touching the land of our ancestors at the same time; I am sure we were fulfilling their dreams,” says Sherri.

Following the Rotarian creed of Service Above Self, Sherri and her daughters worked a packed schedule. In Subinso, they met Rotarians from Detroit and Canada.

“The Detroit and Canada clubs have built a clinic and plan to expand it with a maternity center,” says Sherri. “We were there to help distribute mosquito nets, eyeglasses, and Days for Girls (hygiene) Kits. We were able to break bread and share stories of their many travels to Subinso and all the service they have done there.”

She visited places that stirred deep emotions in her. She recalls seeing the Cape Coast Slave Dungeons (Castles): “Some call them a castle, but that was not what I felt there; the walls and floors still have the stench of the enslaved Africans. As I touched the walls, it was as if I could feel the pain and hear the cries of my ancestors. It wasn’t easy to grasp that enslaved Africans were captured and taken from their home through doors like these up and down the Atlantic Ocean. Yet, looking through the ‘Door of No Return,’ I felt what I believe could be only a snippet of their anguish. I had to remind myself: Breathe, Sherri. Breathe.’”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

dr. aimee clute

Dr. Aimee Clute has over four decades of experience in full-time ministry, traveling nationwide and globally. She has shared stages with ministers and artists such as Karen Wheaton, Judy Jacobs, David and Nicole Binion, Twinkie Clark, The Williams Brothers, Juanita Bynam, Vickie Yohe, Dr. T.L. Lowry, Pastor Rod Parsley, Paula White, Perry Stone and many more.

Dr. Clute has released 13 albums with the Faithway Singers, five albums of her own and several singles. She is in the process of a sixth album. Her newest single “It’s Time to Roar”, will soon be re-leased.

Dr. Clute is known as the second woman to evangelize in Pakistan. In 2013, she ministered in LaHore, a location next door to a Taliban training

facility. Twenty-three thousand souls were saved.

In the same year, Dr. Clute founded Changing of the Seasons, a retreat that empowers believers to reach their greatest potential. 12 states are represented in this retreat. For nine years, she has successfully hosted this retreat. Changing of the Seasons will return this year.

Dr. Clute and her husband, Apostle Thomas Clute, have been happily married for 32 years. This year will mark 30 years of pastoring River of Life Church in Gulfport, MS.

Together, they make their home in Gulfport, Miss.with their two sons, Daniel and Wesley, two daughters-in-law, and soon to be four grandchildren.

As a best-selling author, national recording artist, certified chaplain holding a doctorate in divinity, and appointed ambassador-at-large, Dr. Clute is passionate about reaching the masses for His sake in song and word.

She has appeared on several local and national television broadcasts and ministered worldwide in grand arenas among dignitaries, prominent ministers and artists. Additionally, Dr. Clute was named “Female Vocalist of the Year” by the Gulf Coast Gospel Music Awards in 2017 and 2018. Her books “Trailblazers Who Lead” and “Uncommon Courage” are Amazon bestsellers.

CONNECT WITH DR. CLUTE

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ AimeeCluteMinistries

Instagram: https://instagram.com/dr.aimee

Website: https://www.aimeeclute.net

DEFINING MOMENT

There have been many, but the first time Dr. Clute’s husband received his first cancer diagnosis is known to be one of her most defining moments in life. The person who had always encouraged her needed her help in encouraging him. In order to do this, she had to discover who God was for herself.

KEY LESSONS SHE’S LEARNED

• Obtaining titles and other things are simple. However, your character and integrity helps you maintain such things.

• Everyone is unique, and so is their psychological make-up. You can’t just treat everyone the same. You will realize that the demands are unique and should be addressed as such. This ranges from how you treat your children, to the people you work with, to the people you pastor, to the teacher in front of the classroom, and so on.

• Learn to take God at his Word when situations seem impossible or unchanging. Recognize that God is a God of mercy, grace, and justice in addition to being a God of love.

NEW SINGLE RELEASES

About “It’s Time To Roar” album:. God is preparing to roar and He will use His people to do the same with him, Dr. Clute says. Now is the moment to defend what is just and true because Jesus is returning for a bride without blemish. A great end-time revival will follow from this.

“ITS TIME TO ROAR” LYRICS

VERSE 1

In a dark cell

All hope was gone

In t he midnight hour

God gave ‘em a song

Paul and Silas released a sound

That opened up Heaven

That shook t he ground

An angel was loosed

The Holy Ghost fell

What a t estimony you gotta tell

CHORUS

It’s t ime t o roar

It’s t ime t o t ake a stand

Let t he enemy know

We’re moving at t he Lord’s command

We can’t back down

Victory i s i n our hands

The enemy i s going down

Ain’t nothing can stop t he sound

Our voices have been f ound

Revival i s hitting t his l and

It’s t ime t o roar

VERSE 2

He tried t o t ake our voice

And our identity

He t ried to take our very breath

And the song that we sing

We’ve been silent for so long

But we’re coming alive again

We’re taking it by f orce

We’re taking back this l and

BRIDGE

Lift up your voice and sing

To t he King of Kings

Let praise be your weapon

The sound of victory

MIZ TIFFANY

Tiffany “Miz Tiffany” Coleman-McGee has been coined a “triple threat in entertainment.” She is Mississippi’s first multi-award-winning Christian hip hop gospel rap artist. Her trendsetting work has broken traditions within the four walls of the church as well as introduced a unique multicultural and ethnic style of music and ministry to the gospel, urban and hip-hop communities. Her artistry and musical releases have been Grammy-considered in several categories for the 61st, 62nd, and 64th Annual Grammy Awards

In 2019, Miz Tiffany made history as the first-ever female solo rap artist to receive an official Stellar Gospel Music Award nomination for Rap / Hip Hop Gospel CD of the Year. She is the first female gospel rap artist in history to perform on the legendary “Dr. Bobby Jones Presents” television showcase, and the first gospel rapper to be awarded and honored during Jackson Music Awards 40th Annual Mississippi Gospel Music awards as Mississippi Spotlight Artist of the Year and a Woman in Gospel, Making Things Happen. To date, she has been awarded more than 30 times on various platforms and has received dozens more nominations.

Miz Tiffany is an active voting member of The

Recording Academy|Grammys, Gospel Music Association|Dove Awards, Stellar Awards Gospel Music Academy, Mississippi Gospel Music Awards, and a registered Songwriter|Composer|Performer at Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI). Her single, “I’m Souled” peaked twice at No. 13 on Digital Radio Tracker’s Global Top 50 Gospel Airplay Chart as well as No. 56 on the DRT Top 150 Independent Airplay Chart. She received plaques to commemorate these achievements in her career. Additionally, her single, “Go Hard” reentered radio rotation after its two-year release, going No. 1 on Hood Idol Radio during the week of March 6, 2022.

Miz Tiffany is highly sought after and often called upon as an opening act for her powerful, atmosphereshifting performances. She has shared the stage and various platforms with renowned artists including the Mississippi Mass Choir, Tamar Braxton, Deitrick Haddon, Jonathan McReynolds, Erica Campbell, Canton Jones, Jekalyn Carr, Uncle Reece, Jor’Dan Armstrong, Emcee N.I.C.E., Paul Porter, Brian Courtney Wilson, JJ Hairston, The Canton Spirituals, Lee Williams & The Spiritual QC’s, Evelyn Turrentine Agee, and Keith Wonderboy Johnson among many others.

Pastor and Commander Willie J. Brown, tapping into nearly 32 years of military service, shares practical leadership principles that will help you solidify and grow your influence as a leader. The wisdom he has compiled in this book will shave years off of trial-and-error learning of leadership skills essential for elevation and promotion.

Pastor/Commander Willie Brown

Pastor and Commander Willie Brown was born in Lafayette, La., and grew up in Baytown, Texas. He earned his bachelor’s degree in aviation management in 1991 and his master’s degree in health services administration in 1999. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1987 and retired in 2018.

He pastored McTureous Gospel Fellowship in Okinawa, Japan, from 2004 to 2006 and served as an assistant pastor from 2008 to 2010 at Living Word Worship Center when he was stationed in Sydney, Australia. He served a one-year tour in Baghdad, Iraq, where he assisted the Iraqi military in building its first military healthcare system. He completed 67 missions in the Red Zone during his deployment and received the Bronze Star Medal for his meritorious contributions during the war.

Pastor Willie has held many titles in healthcare administration, including serving as comptroller and director of resources at Naval Hospital Pensacola and as director for Administration at Naval Hospital Beaufort. Pastor Willie is currently a healthcare

administrator professor with Bellevue University. Having visited seventy countries, Pastor Willie is a board member of the Go-To-Nations Missions organization

Pastor Willie currently serves at New Covenant Ministries Next Generation in Jacksonville, Florida. He describes New Covenant as a young but thriving church with mixed ethnicities of various backgrounds. He says his motivation comes from God. “The Lord put it in my heart to care for this particular flock,” he says. “Jesus appeared to me in a dream months before I was to be installed as the senior pastor of New Covenant Ministries Next Generation and comforted me to accept His call.”

Connect with him: www.facebook.com/ncmjax/

Dr. Nichole Peters

Dr. Nichole Peters is a certified life and media coach, international motivational speaker, media mogul, executive producer, publisher, and a number-one best-selling author.

In 2020, Dr. Peters received her Ph.D. in leadership and biblical studies. In 2019 she was awarded two honorary doctorates in Christian education and counseling. She is the CEO and founder of Believe in Your Dreams Publishing Academy, BelieveCON, and her own television network.

Dr. Peters became a 28-time best-selling author and a number-one international best seller with her anthology, “Believe In Your Dreams,” which includes a foreword by Les Brown, regarded by many as the world’s top motivational speaker.

Believing in her dreams

Though Dr. Peters is at the pinnacle of success, she has a deep understanding of the suffering of others, as she faced seemingly insurmountable hurdles and painful struggles of her own.

“I lived in poverty and for 18 years, I grew up in the housing projects. Growing up in poverty, you witness so much — like crime, abuse, and drugs. I struggled in school with reading comprehension, English, and writing. I struggled with a teacher not believing in my dreams,” she recalls.

She was so ill at one time that she began to plan her own funeral arrangements.

One of the darkest times of her life was when, in the span of nine months, she lost her father and her hero,

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her grandmother. Her grief sent her spiraling. “I actually flunked out of college twice from grieving, hanging around the wrong crowd and picking the wrong men, who eventually used and beat on me.”

She was entwined in relationships so abusive and harmful that she considered ending her own life.

“I was tired of going through all kinds of pain, trials, and tribulations. I had gone to jail for five days, and even though you might think five days is nothing, to me it felt like fifty years. I felt like my character and reputation were shattered and that I had nothing else to live for. When my sister picked me up, she played a CD that had Bishop T.D. Jakes’, Cindy Trim’s, and Les Brown’s sermons and motivational speaking on it. She said, ‘Listen to this and just know your life is not over. You have a chance to turn your life around.’

“I listened to my sister, but I still had plans to blow my brains out. Once I got home, I took a hot bath and prayed to God about what I was about to do. Then I got my gun out and

went into my room. I listened to the CD my sister gave me. One of the most defining moments was when Les Brown said, ‘Even if you fall, make sure you fall flat on your back because if you can look up, you can get up.’ Those words did something to me. Then Bishop Jakes said, ‘You still got life in you because God is right inside you. He will never forsake you. Give it all to God.’” And I did just that ...

Having learned first-hand how it feels to be at the lowest point and to then turn one’s life around, Dr. Peters is well qualified to do her life’s work: She coaches and mentors women to help them regain their power and to believe in themselves. She created “Get On The B.U.S.” (Breakthrough Unstoppable Success), a program that guides people to change their lives by turning their pain into purpose. Her mentees accomplish this by writing their stories; starting their own inspirational podcasts, empowerment TV shows and channels; and by attending Believe Media Bosses Masterclass conferences and retreats.

Dr. Peters also formed an online organization, “Women of Love, Power and Respect,” to help show women how to live with genuine love and not abuse. As a testament to the need this organization is fulfilling, it has attracted more than 60,000 members and is and growing.

“In 2022, I watched Believe In Your Dreams turn into empire,” she says. “We closed last year with 35 million in viewership and over 8

million subscribers. We went from 30-plus TV shows and episodes to now close to 100, closing out with 72 hosts altogether.”

And her work continues to expand. “This April our new television series will be releasing ‘Hungry Enough To Believe,’ a motivational program with Les Brown and Believe In Your Dreams powerhouse Vice President Taneisha Ramsey. We also started our ‘Believe In Your Dreams Media World Tour, which we kicked off during the Essence Festival weekend in New Orleans. We continue the tour nationally in major cities like Miami, Las Vegas, and New York City. We will continue the tour in 2023 internationally in countries like the United Kingdom, Paris, France, and Dubai!”

Believe In Your Dreams is also adding two more channels — Believe Sports TV and the Believe In Cooking channel.

“This year the Believe team family and I will be hosting over 20 Media Masterclasses.”

Dr. Peter’s cup overflows, and her plate is full, but in helping others, she is fulfilling her own passion to heal those who suffer from traumatic experiences and show them how to become “Believe Warriors” by taking back their power of self-love through supernatural prayers, natural healing, writing, wellness retreats, and empowerment conferences.

5 Ways to Grow

Spi ritually in the New Year

As the new year begins, there opens the beautiful possibility to grow into the new and now. The busyness of the holidays has passed, and the time to develop new habits that will activate growth is here today. As you cultivate a list of places where your heart feels inclined to grow, consider all the ways that you can grow spiritually.

1. GROWTH IN THE WORD

Growth spiritually comes from knowing the heart of the Lord. John 1:1 shares, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” This verse reminds us that the Bible in itself is the heart of the Lord written out for us to indwell in. This means not reading it in a way to gloss over or skim, but richly diving in to come to know God better. The Word shows time and time again how the Lord proved faithful to His people, and it can encourage us in our struggles today. Hebrews 13:8 exclaims that God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, so the same God Who made way for those in the past can do the same today.

Moreover, the Word conveys how we can see the ways and truth of the Lord through His heart in action and compassion. Consider a Bible plan not to go through the Bible speedily, but rather a rhythmic journey in which you absorb that which He wants to reveal to you and show you consistently. Making time in the Word part of your daily life will open your eyes to absolute truths and perhaps revelations you never considered before.

2. TIME WHERE YOUR HEART FEELS HIM MOST

It is different for each person; for some, they feel God most in a quiet chair as the sun peeks through the clouds in the morning; for others, it is among the tallest trees rustling from the wind in the forest, or it could even be in a sacred spot in a closet where you go to pray. Wherever it is, seek to find the place

by Cally Logan

in which your heart can slow itself, and your mind can calm itself to simply be with the Lord in your safe haven. This is where relationship is built, and the most growth can occur - by spending time alone with Him. Consider repeatedly in the Bible how God would call His children out where there was not another soul to connect with them. For Moses, it was on Mount Sinai or the Burning Bush; for John the Baptist, it was the Wilderness, and for Elijah, it was after journeying far and wide to find a place where a gentle whisper was heard. Wherever your corner of the world is with Him, make it a priority to soak in the goodness of the Lord there. Coming before Him not always for a Word or revelation but coming to just rest and be with your Creator. It is here that some of the most dynamic growth happens, where some of the most profound Words can be given, and where Heaven meets Earth in respect of God meeting you right where you are. Spiritual growth starts and ends with that sacred space of prayer and pondering with the Holy Spirit.

3. FELLOWSHIP

From the first chapters of Genesis, it was clear that the heart of the Lord was that we were not made to always be alone; rather, we were made to commune and fellowship with one another. This is why it is so important to surround yourself with fellow believers who will encourage you in your walk and your spiritual growth, and in response, you offer the same to them. It is as Ecclesiastes 4:1 shares how, “Two are better than one, for if one falls down the other is there to help them up.” Much of the time, spiritual growth may come through mentorship from someone older than you or a captivating idea given by a friend. In fellowship, what is important is to connect with God for who He has for you to do life with and ensure that those around you are truly seeking the Lord in truth. When this is checked

COLUMNIST

and known, then the place of sharing vulnerably and walking with through journeys can support growth. Ask the Lord to highlight to you who He has for you to be in your innermost circle. Ask Him to fill the garden of your life with golden fruit bearers that radiate His Light.

4. GATHERING WISDOM

Time and time again, the Bible conveys the importance of wisdom in our lives to ensure good growth in our personal lives. Proverbs 16:16 offers, “How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver!” Additionally, through the Word of God in the Bible and the direct Words of God through prayer, wisdom can come through many vessels in the forms of books, sermons, podcasts, or devotionals. Do your research on content creators that make every effort to adhere and seek the will of the Lord in their works and glean from the wisdom they have cultivated through their careers. Often, our spiritual lives can be challenged through these types of mediums, and in turn, the working and stirring of those challenges will produce the fruit of growth in time. Ask the Lord to guide you as you sort through or come across things as well; you never know what He might have for you just waiting in the pages of a book.

5.

SPIRITUAL GIFTS

A challenge that is not talked about often when it comes to growth is the idea of fostering the specific spiritual gifts God has given to you. It is

a more narrowed approach, but it can be wildly captivating what it can produce when you seek to tend to that which God has given to you uniquely. There are several ways to find out your spiritual gifts, or you could consider how God speaks to you most predominately and then invite the Holy Spirit to assist you in adding muscle to that gift. It also opens the door to doing more studying, spending more time in prayer directly towards that gift, or doing research through the Bible and other valuable resources that focus specifically on the spiritual gift in which you want to embolden. God gives us spiritual gifts not to be misused but to know Him more and bless those He would seek for us to bless in the process. Inquire of God how you can grow this spiritual muscle in such a time as this.

Spiritual growth is one of the most important aspects of life, and it deserves to be treated as such. When we take the time to exercise these muscles and to dive more deeply into what God has for us, good fruit is produced. It is a way to come to know the Lord more than ever, and it is something you will not regret doing. You never know the adventure God might take you on as you trust His leading.

CONNECT WITH CALLY LOGAN

Cally Logan is an author and U.S. History teacher from Richmond, Va. Check her out on Instagram and Twitter, @CallyLogan and TikTok Cally_Logan.

SHERRI ALLEN-REEVES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

In Freetown, Sierra Leone, Sherri says she felt at home. “Taking the water taxi across the ocean and having the water splash up on my face was the best feeling ever. Freetown is a port city and the capital of Sierra Leone in West Africa. It has some of the most beautiful beaches and is known for its historical role in the transatlantic slave trade. There is a centuriesold cotton tree in the middle of town, a symbol of emancipation or what the freed Africans saw and then knew they were home as they walked through the waterfront of the King’s Yard Gate.”

She describes visiting the Chambers School in Freetown as the highlight of their trip. “Our club had sent funds to build a desk, paint walls, and add new chalkboards. We work with a Rotaract Club from Freetown, and we came prepared to have lunch, play

games, and give out prizes and awards. To see the smiles on those children’s faces was worth the trip.”

As time to leave drew near, Sherri meditated at the ocean. “I went to talk with the ancestors, to tell them that we were free. ... I am a descendant of enslaved Africans who survived four hundred years of slavery, Jim Crow, Civil Rights, voter suppression, redlining, police brutality, etc., and I am still standing.”

Recalling the struggles she had to overcome to live her purpose, Sherri says she had to stop comparing herself to others and see that God is pleased with her just as she is.

Connect with Sherri at sherrispeaks1@gmail.com